POBNEWS24, Dhaka, Aug 2 2022 : The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August last year. When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the lives of many women in the country changed overnight. One such person is Shabnam Daoran.
Shabnam was working as a news anchor on TV. This change of power in Afghanistan came as a career-ending one for him.
Shabnam has been trying to build a new life as a refugee in the UK for almost a year. The BBC’s Sodaba Haider tells the story of his transformation from presenter to refugee overnight.
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban took control of Kabul. Just the night before, Shabnam was preparing for a primetime news presentation on a national television station.
It was at a time when the Taliban was spreading across Afghanistan. They reached the outskirts of the country’s capital, Kabul.
24-year-old Shabnam was a rising star. He went ‘on-air’ that day to inform the audience of the latest situation in the country.
About the situation at that time, Shabnam said, ‘I was so emotional that I could not even read the headlines. Those (viewers) sitting at home and watching me can tell what I went through.’
When Shabnam wakes up the next morning, Kabul has fallen to the Taliban.
Taliban attack TV station in Shabnam. A Taliban member sits on a chair in a TV station studio with the organization’s flag behind him. Shabnam sat in this chair the night before. This change heralds the end of an era in Afghanistan.
In the first official press conference after coming to power, a Taliban spokesman told reporters that women can work alongside men in the country.
The next day, with some apprehension and excitement, Shabnam goes to work wearing her work clothes. But as soon as he went to the TV station, he fell in front of Taliban fighters. They were guarding the building. They were only allowing male workers to enter the building.
Shabnam said a Taliban fighter told her that they have not yet made a decision on women in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Another Taliban fighter told Shabnam, ‘You have done enough. Now is our time.’
Shabnam said, she has the right to work.
Just then a Taliban fighter pointed a rifle at Shabnam. ‘One shot is enough for you,’ he said, putting his finger on the trigger of the rifle. Are you going to leave or I’m going to shoot you right here?’
Then Shabnam left. He posted a video describing the incident on social media. The video went viral. He and his family members’ lives are in danger.
Shabnam understood that he would no longer be in Afghanistan. He packed the bag. After a few days, he fled the country. He was accompanied on this uncertain journey by two brothers and sisters—Meena and Hemat.
New life, hard life
Shabnam and her two siblings immigrated to the UK with thousands of Afghan refugees. Their journey was difficult and uncertain.
Shabnam faced a new and difficult life after setting foot in the UK. This is the life of a refugee. He did not know English. As a result, he has to face various problems in communication. Job opportunities for him are also limited.
To adapt to a completely new environment, Shabnams have to get very fast.
Shabnam said, ‘I feel that I have lost the six years I worked in Afghanistan. Now I have to learn English. Should go to university. In the days following our arrival in the UK, we couldn’t even go shopping. If we needed some essentials, we couldn’t tell. It was very difficult and painful.’
Shabnam’s refugee life in the UK is about a year. Most of the recent arrivals of Afghan refugees in the UK are staying in hotels across the country. But Shabnam and her siblings are lucky. They have been given a home earlier this year.
Talking about the experience of living in the UK, Shabnam said, ‘Our life has just begun. We are like new babies who have to start from scratch.’
Shabnamra is slowly getting used to the UK lifestyle. They are enjoying their first summer there. Although they feel strongly about their homeland.
Shabnam and her younger sister are now studying English in a college. And younger brother is studying in secondary school.
According to Shabnam, they are well supported by the UK government. But he is worried about other Afghan refugees. Among whom are some of his friends. Their plight has been compounded by the war in Ukraine.
Shabnam hopes to return to Afghanistan one day. He said, ‘I hope for the day when Afghanistan will be a place where people will not only survive but also prosper. Then I will have no doubts about going back to the country.’
